Tag: Pantages

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Beetlejuice

We skipped our usual burger and wine before going to the Pantages last night. Tired of spending $70 to split a marginal burger and fries and drinking inexpensive wine. Hollywood Blvd. really needs to get more restaurants around the Pantages. I know the pandemic closed a lot of them but it’s time to move back in. The city even cleaned up the worst of the homeless encampments so it’s not as scary as it used to be. Anyway, we went to the Pantages to see Beetlejuice. It’s not great theater, you won’t come out humming the tunes, but it’s lots of fun. What a remarkable change! Entertainment! The sets were original, the actors are all good, and the book worked to support the story. For a good time, call Beetlejuice–three times. Or at least buy a ticket.

One thing I forgot to add: it was opening night last night so the people watching was wonderful. All the pretty models and actresses came dressed to the nines (whatever that means). Gordon almost lost his eyes when a lovely young woman sashayed by in a super short skirt. Well, she had the legs to pull it off. But, boy, did I feel old. That’s life, ain’t it. It was also a big cosplay night. Lots of black & white striped dresses and shirts. I didn’t have any gorgeous guys to ogle. Damn. And I got stuck behind two Shreks so I had to bob and weave to see the show. I should carry a phone book when I go to the theater. I need something to sit on. Of course, nobody has phone books anymore. See above comment about getting old. I’ve got an idea! Why don’t producers book movie theaters? Stadium seating would really help me out.

Onward…

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Into the Woods and Tina

We’ve been royally entertained lately. Last week we went to Into the Woods at the Ahmanson. Wonderful production. It was a touring company, so the sets were fragmented but that worked better than productions I’ve seen with huge sets. When you’re dealing with storybook characters, why not let the imagination run wild? No point in dragging everybody down to earth–unless you’re a giant, then it’s a plot point. Four of the cast members were from the original Broadway cast that won Best Revival (I think). The baker and his wife were a real-life married couple, and they worked wonderfully together. The young man who played the Wolf and Prince Charming was delightful. The Sondheim score is demanding but the cast had no problem with it–and they were all superb comic actors. It’s the best production of Into the Woods I’ve seen (haven’t seen that many but still…). It might be enough to save the Music Center. The Taper is being closed for the near future due to lack of money. The last program director spent all the money on political shows. We finally cancelled our subscription to the Taper because we couldn’t stand the hatred and politicization anymore. I remember a play, starring Mary Louise Parker, that was written by an Englishman. Midpoint in the play, apropos to nothing, Parker screams out, “I hate Republicans!” Don’t think it was in the script, she just adlibbed but that sort of thing became common. In What the Constitution Means to Me, the actor/writer declaims that the electoral college should be abolished because it interferes with Democracy. I guess she never read US history. The rural states would never have ratified the Constitution without the electoral college. They wanted to be protected from the populated states. If the Left is allowed to destroy the electoral college the Red states will have no choice but to seceded for their own protection. But if you believe that you’re bigot or a racist…some sort of ‘ot’ or ‘ist’. When we went for a glass of wine at the Plaza before the show last Wednesday, the signs were blaring that the last four performances of Transparency the Musical had tickets available. I didn’t see a soul around the theater. It looked dead. I guess they couldn’t give tickets away. And when you can’t paper a theater, you have a real problem. Anyway, the new director is searching for money…and plays people want to see, presumably. They’ll have a hard time getting me back. Once bitten, twice shy. I’m tired of paying to be called names and patronized. I’d rather watch I Love Lucy reruns. They’re more entertaining and a lot cheaper.

Last night we saw Tina at the Pantages. It’s a juke box musical about Tina Turner so they used her famous songs. The book was okay, but I liked the movie better. All the singers were great. Either Naomi Rogers or Zurin Villanueva, not sure which, did a nice turn as Tina (turn, get it?). The program lists two women in the part. Maybe they take turns just to save their voices. That would make sense. But whichever woman I saw had a great voice. She belted for two hours. I liked what she did, but I saw Tina perform live. And there’s only one Tina. I imagine the actress will develop her own style–if she hasn’t already. Anyway, it was a pleasant way to spend an evening. I think the show is moving on in a week because we have Beetlejuice tickets next week. So much fun….

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Six

Gordon and I went to the Pantages last night to see Six. We wanted to go to our favorite restaurant in the W Hotel, but it was being renovated. We were sent to the 12th floor–and it was great. Wonderful views. Enjoyed my glass of wine as we split a burger and fries (we never like to eat too much before a show; we tend to go to sleep). I didn’t know what to expect from Six. I knew it was about the six wives of Henry VIII. I wasn’t sure how they’d fit in the usual anti-American theme, but I was sure the creators would come up with something. That seems to be the thing in theater these days. Personally, I’m tired of it and I was ready to cancel our subscription. I’d rather watch I Love Lucy reruns than that crap. Boy, was I surprised when there wasn’t a hint of anti-American bile. Of course, it’d be hard to fit it in. Six is an all-woman show about a competition among the wives to see who suffered the worst when married to Henry. Each wife got to tell her side. And the actors were all great; all triple threats. Not a dud in the group. Kelsee Kimmel stood in for Khaila Wilcoxon, but I’d never heard of either of them, so I didn’t care. Kelsee was great as Katharine of Aragon. Storm Lever sang Anne Boleyn’s story (very sassy), Natalie Paris played Jane Seymore (the only wife who loved Henry, according to her), Olivia Donalson played Anne of Cleves (absolutely hysterical), Courtney Mack was a sexy Katherine Howard, and Gabriela Carrillo played Catherine Parr (great pop voice). Six is a pop/rock musical and the 4-woman band was terrific.

Not only was I not pissed off at the play, but this was the best night of theater I’ve spent in years. Great show. Go see it.

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To Kill a Mockingbird, the play

Went to Delphine’s before going to the Pantages last night. They’d taken the hamburger off the bar menu, so Gordon had French onion soup and I had crab cakes instead. The food was good, but I would have preferred the burger. Bartender also said we couldn’t watch Jeopardy because people were watching the basketball game. BS. Nobody was watching the game. But it wasn’t worth fighting over. We finished our drinks and crossed the street for the show. We were almost late. They normally start 10 minutes after eight. Last night they started right on time because the show runs 3 hours, and they have to close by 11. The doors were closed after we got in.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this play. Loved the book, of course, but Sorkin wrote the adaptation and he’s Far Left. I also heard that although all the critics loved the show, it wasn’t reopening in New York. So, I didn’t have high hopes. I wasn’t disappointed. Sorkin is a good writer, but he changed the emphasis from the viewpoint of a young girl and made her just one of many narrators. The Sorkin adaption is a re-telling of the of the story from an adult’s (his) point of view. And it’s focused on race. It touches on incest, but the main focus is racism. Racism, racism, racism. We’re told how ugly racism is, how pervasive, and how hopeless the struggle against it is. Sorkin subjects us to the ugly way some white people refer to black people. Calpurnia, the family housekeeper (black lady,) is bitter and shames Atticus because he seems to expect gratitude for defending Tom Robinson. Atticus is finally in despair at the end of the show. He doesn’t know his neighbors and he fears they’ll never change. It’s kind of a hopeless piece of theater.

Richard Thomas plays Atticus. I’ve always appreciated his acting and I appreciated this performance. The girl playing Scout had some trouble with the accent. She sounded like a New Yorker half the time. Oh hell, maybe there’s a Brooklyn in Alabama. The actress who played Scout in the movie is playing Mrs. Dubose and she’s quite effective. I liked the staging. The show is well-done and if you like your nose rubbed in the ugliness of a small percentage of the population, you’ll probably like it. For me, it was a meh. I’ll go back to the book where I can disapprove of the ugliness of racism and not be slimed by it. My God, you’d think nothing had changed in the last 80 years.

This is the second show I’ve seen recently where Far Left people have re-imagined classics. They suck the joy and charm out of everything and all that’s left is ugliness. They should leave well enough alone and come up with something original. Of course, no one would pay to see it. They have to suck us in with the classics and then ruin them for us. No wonder the theater is dying.